When He Rips Out Someone's Eye For You
by the-laziest-athlete-you-know
Summary: There's not much going on in this college town in Northern California... What starts as some strange attacks escalates, attracting the attention of local gangs and hunters alike. One college student finds herself at the center of the weirdest conspiracy ever.
1. The Eye

Based off writing prompt: When he rips out someone's eyeball for you

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Lizzy was a cat person through and through. She liked coexisting with cats much more than owning a dog. She had had cats in her house (or her relative's houses) most of her life, only one at a time, and all of them had been black and fluffy. She'd had barn cats, house cats, obnoxious cats, you name it. They were all just as content to claw her in the middle of the night as they were to curl up on her chest or sit in the entrance of another room and stare at her. She was pretty sure one time in elementary school she had been visited for a month by four look-a-likes of her cat. They had only visited at night or dusk, often just appearing inside the house, and her parents had never known. Long story short, Lizzy had a history with cats and no matter how untrusting, feral, or mean, within a week they would be snoozing on her lap.

This meant she was perfectly acquainted with their eccentricities. A crippled mouse or disemboweled bird on the doorstep didn't even faze her. Waking in the middle of the night to see two shiny eyes watching her from her desk or next to her face only amused her. She never hung feet or arms off the side of her bed because there really was something under there, something that would sink its claws in deep and hid in the shadows. It seemed every time she walked into a different room her black fluffball would slink in after her.

There were some things, however, that Lizzy was _not_ prepared for. _Especially_ not at 11:30am on a Saturday when she had just gotten up after a pretty shitty night.

This wasn't a dead rodent on her step, it was an eyeball. A _human_ eyeball. And there was her cat, smug and proud as a cat could be, mewing for her to open the door. The eye was actually in pretty good shape, she observed distantly. The dull blue iris and bloodshot sclera stared up at her from the cheap plastic doormat. What the hell? What the _bloody hell_?

Her cat, Argus, was now lightly scratching at the door, probably leaving small, bloody paw prints on the white paint. She let him in. Then she looked at the eye again. On one hand, it was someone's eye. On the other hand, she shuddered at the realization, it was a _gift_. She took a few photos (for proof she wasn't crazy) and scooped the thing up in a sandwich bag, sealed it, stuck it in a _non-see-through_ Tupperware, and hid it in the back of her fridge to keep until she could figure this out. Through the haze of sleep, shock, panic, revulsion, and uncertainty, she had an unsettling feeling that she had seen that color eye before.

She spent a solid hour making sure every trace of blood was cleaned from her porch and her cat, as well as what he had tracked into the house. She even took out a small UV light to make extra sure she got as much as possible. Then she cut the side of her arm on an edge of metal in the back of her old truck and made a trail over what she had just cleaned, as well as to her first aid kit and the sink and let it all dry. Then she cleaned again, but much less thoroughly.

That being done, she reheated her dinner from the night before and finally ate some breakfast. Argus watched her from the kitchen floor. She ate mechanically, and cleaned up in efficient, practiced movements. Then she turned to confront her cat.

"I" she declared "will absolutely lose it if I don't get an explanation _very soon_."

Argus blinked slowly up at her. His tail swished a bit at her tone. They stared at each other. No answers were forthcoming.

Lizzy sighed a long breath. Her brain seemed to be stuck on the 'What the hell?' aspect of this scenario and hadn't bothered trying to actually think.

"I feel like I just cleaned up a crime scene for you." If her cat reacted she didn't see, too busy staring blankly at the space above her fridge. If she looked closely she could see the little pile of this month's shopping receipts.

She didn't let Argus outside for a week after that, no matter how many times he meowed and walked on her face at four in the morning.

She didn't tell anyone about the eyeball sitting in the back of her fridge like the world's weirdest condiment.

The next day she let her friend Lula freaked out a bit over the cut on her arm and practically slathered it in alcohol and salves to keep it from getting infected. Lizzy went to her part-time job bartending and Keith, her flatmate, got back from spring vacation midway through the next week. Not wanting him to stumble across the freaking _eye_ in their fridge, she finally disposed of it by dumping it in the river that went past town. She knew something would eat it and even if it was found, she had been careful not to leave any sort of dna trace on it. Classes started the next Monday and Lizzy hadn't seen or heard anything in the news about missing eyes or vicious animal attacks. She let herself relax.

Of course, that's when everything went wrong. First of all, Devin was there. Second of all, his face looked like it had been mauled and a bandage was wrapped tightly around his left eye. Or rather, Lizzy suspected, where his left eye _had been_. Devin wasn't actually a student but he did handyman repairs around campus and could be seen pretty regularly. He also sold drugs and had strong connections to the local gangs. Sketch af too. He was a bit pushy with the girls but generally kept to the ones he was supplying. Didn't mean it was a good idea to meet him on a backstreet. It was kinda an unspoken policy to always have a knife on you no matter who you were or what you were connected to, at least that's how Lizzy had grown up, but she would bet money that this kid was also packing regularly. She prayed to God or whoever would listen that the creepy asshole didn't know what her cat looked like.

Lizzy still didn't know _why_ her cat had gone psycho on the dude. She might've seen him at the party on Friday night, right before this whole mess started, but she couldn't remember much except that she had gone to the house party with Erin and Bri and had left the party with them. She'd been drunk as hell and _still_ more sober than Erin. But even if this had all been triggered at that party _how_ the _hell_ could her _cat_ know about it? Her childhood declarations that her cats were her protectors flashed through her mind. Argus was her third cat and she had said that for all of them. Lizzy groaned in frustration and thumped her head onto her Vector Calculus textbook, completely missing her friend's exasperated eye roll.

" _Maybe_ this wouldn't be so frustrating if you had just _done your homework_ over break" Joelle teased. Snobbishly self-assured of her superior study habits.

"Fuck off Jo, some of us plebians need a break from school during our break from school." Lizzy's head was still buried in her book. Jo just snorted (elegantly) and planted the medium mocha with extra chocolate that was Lizzy's regular order on the desk in front of the girl's nose and took a sip of her frappe.

"But seriously, what's up Lizzy?"

"I think something happened two Fridays ago."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was at a party and I can't remember much." Jo's face turned serious at that.

"Were you drugged? Were you sore in the morning?"

"NO no nono, nothing like that I think. I mean I entered and left the party with Erin and Bri and it wasn't like losing time, it's more like my memories are blurry or som'thin." She propped her head up and reached for her mocha.

"Why're you so caught up on it then?" Jo seemed to be losing interest in the conversation, her eye roaming over her stupidly neat notes.

"Cause I think Devin was there, and now his face looks like it was fucking mauled a little over a week ago." Jo froze at that before piercing Lizzy with her sharp hazel eyes.

"Devin? The Bad News, drug dealing, gang member Devin? How could you be so _stupid_ as to go to a party with _him_ there?" Lizzy winced at the anger in her friend's voice. She wasn't wrong.

"Well it's not like I _knew_ beforehand!" Lizzy winced again, she had a bad habit of being too defensive. Jo's eyes just narrowed but thankfully she let it go, for now.

"Be careful Lizzy, don't mess with gang shit."

"I won't."

Lizzy was planning on drawing as little attention to herself as possible, feigning tiredness to avoid socializing and sticking to her friend group throughout the day. Apparently something had Gone Down that Friday night and one of the gangs was spooked. Devin's gang. Keith's cousin worked in a grocery in one of the more sketch neighborhoods and had picked up some gossip. Sounded like he'd been jumped by some hellbeast like a dog with claws, snake fangs, and a scaled underbelly. Devin's buddy, CB, had sworn up and down it had been a monster, like the muts from the Hunger Games. That was both a relief to Lizzy… and completely horrifying. Maybe it hadn't been Argus, after all her fluffy chunk of a cat certainly didn't look like _that._ On the other hand, that thing probably could have _devoured_ Argus and left nothing but fluff as evidence.

Lizzy also no longer felt bad about not reporting the eye, Devin gave her the slimiest vibes.

She and Keith drove home together, chatting about the break and listening to alt rock. Lizzy was an engineering major and Keith wanted to go into social services with the specific purpose of remaking the foster system into something that didn't allow abuse and child suffering to fly under the radar. Keith's cousin had kept him out of the system despite being barely 20 himself. But he'd been far too close for comfort. They'd actually met before Lizzy had moved out of state for college. He'd been road tripping with his cousin and she'd been a sailing instructor doing boat tours during the local festival. He'd stuck around for the week and they'd become friends, exchange numbers and Instagram and all that. Then they'd bumped into each other again in first-year orientation in Northern California of all places. Since then they'd become best friends and flat mates since sophomore year. He even tolerated her cat despite being more of a dog person.

"Lizzy" his voice turned serious "Joelle told me you were at that party." Lizzy considered playing dumb but it would only delay the inevitable.

"What of it?"

"Stay out of gang shit Lizzy, you'll get hurt." A wave of defensiveness crashed over her.

"Dammit Keith! I'm not gonna run off and get myself killed in a frickin gang war! I hadn't even _known_ Devin was gonna be there!"

"Gabe told me he saw you two… talking… that night."

Lizzy's blood ran cold and the truck wobbled dangerously as she took a turn.

"I did what?" She spared a glance at Keith, feeling the slimy tendrils of fear in her gut that had never quite gone away since that night. Keith was stone faced, determined to stop whatever he thought she was doing.

"Keith, what happened?"

He must have heard the fear in his voice cause his face crumpled a bit and she saw his worry plain as day.

"You don't remember?"

"I remember entering and leaving, everything else is kinda fuzzy."

"Gabe said you had a stupid look on your face, like the girls that hang round Devin, and last he saw you two were cozy in a dark corner."

Lizzy felt sick. No wonder everyone was warning her off if _that's_ how it'd been. Her skin crawled. Keith sent her an assessing glance and growled, punching the bench seat between him.

"I'd mess him up real good if that fucking demon monster or whatever hadn't already beaten me to it."

They drove the rest of the way in silence.

…. . .

Lizzy was standing in the kitchen staring at her cat again. Argus had one eye open and was observing her from his place sprawled in the sunbeam. She slumped and lowered herself to the floor, leaning against the cabinet under the sink. She was surprised when she realized she felt a bit like crying. Blinking her eyes, she patted her leg in invitation to Argus. It was the first time she had invited him to sit with her since he'd dropped Devin's eye on her doorstep. The lazy bastard didn't even twitch. Obligingly, she closed her eyes and rested her head as if she was going to take a nap right there on the floor. She counted the seconds silently. At 84 she felt something close to her left hand and opened her eyes, smiling at her cat who had _just so happened_ to wander over. She sat there scratching Argus' ears until Keith walked in looking for dinner.

…. . . …

The wind rushed through her short hair and buffeted her quick-dry clothes. Her sunglasses were scratched and had a leash of spare cord but they kept the sun and glare out of her eyes. Her small boat plunged downward into a trough and she was instantly soaked by the wave that slipped over the edge. Lizzy grinned and tightened the mainsail to angle the bow closer to the wind. Soon she was skipping across the waves out towards open water. Her favorite part of spring term in North Cali was the sailing. It was different on open water than it had been on the Great Lakes but _damn_ it was amazing. She had managed to get herself a place on the local small boat race team the year before and had not once regretted her nearly full-time access to the team's small fleet. Sailing helped her let go of her stress and she especially needed it after what Keith had told her yesterday.

She finally came in a few hours later due to hunger and the unfortunate reality that she needed to study for her Chem test on Friday and get cleaned up for work later that night. When she walked out of the team locker room with her backpack and a towel around her neck she did not expect to see Gabe sitting in the entrance waiting for her.

"What're you doing here Gabe?"

Gabe held his trademark easy grin as he stood up.

"Can't I drop by to see an old friend?" The guy was obnoxious but they _were_ friends. Of a sort.

"Somehow, this feels less like a social call and more like concern." Lizzy's voice was dry but her body language was tense.

"I heard through the grapevine that you were the one to see me 'an Devin at that party."

Gabe fell in step with her as she walked to her truck.

"You two looked awful close." His tone didn't give away much.

"Sounds like such a sweet memory, too bad I don't remember any of it." Lizzy sent him a suspicious look to his surprised one.

"Nothing?"

"Entering and leaving, that's it."

He leaned against her truck while she threw her gear in the back.

"Think you were doped up instead of just drunk?"

Lizzy rested her arms on the tailgate and felt her body sag.

"Dunno man. I was piss drunk by the end of it that's for sure but I wasn't shaky or itchy in the morning."

"Well whatever happened, you're gonna want to steer clear of Devin and the rest 'o them Blackfingers. Tensions are high and there's word of some new cops pokin around." Cops? Cause of the attack?

"Anyone else been hit by that thing Gabe?"

"Not that I know, cept maybe CB, you know, that kid that saw Devin get attacked, I heard he was raving bout that devil creature watching him at night."

"Kid was probably tripping worse than a fat man with his tighties round his ankles." Lizzy dismissed. She shuddered at the niggling, ridiculous suspicion that it had been Argus.

Gabe snorted at the imagery.

"Yeah whatever, just take care of yourself. There's something strange in town."

Lizzy couldn't help but agree.

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	2. What Happens at Night

A few hours later, Lizzy was working the night shift at Debbie's. The old pub and grub had wooden furniture that was practically vintage, soft lighting, and a cramped stage for starving college students to play for their supper. Best of all, Debbie didn't take well to any sort of discrimination so all the staff were encouraged to exercise their "right to serve only those they were comfortable with" which meant anyone except homophobes, racists, and dickwads.

Lizzy loved night shifts even though they were hell on her already sketchy sleep schedule. There was nothing quite like having it be your _job_ to shove drunk assholes and troublemakers out on their assess. She was tall for a girl, 5' 11", and wiry but she still got underestimated more often than not. However, the full-body workout from sailing and swimming along with the technique and skills from her self defense classes meant she could hold her ground in the bar fights that break out occasionally. Even better was the hazard pay she got for each one.

Lula thought she was crazy for _wanting_ to get into fights. Lula was going to be a professor of Spanish and was currently in school for her teaching license. They'd run into each other at a party in the beginning of the year when the girl had swore at Lizzy in spanish for falling drunkenly on "her" couch. She might have spilled someone's drink too (it was kinda hazy). Lizzy hadn't been able to stay away since.

Today was a Wednesday though, and those were generally pretty calm. The regulars were out. Old Mr. Collins was getting a beer after work. He'd probably been out fixing people's pipes and faucets all day. Sandra was with a new arm decoration, some young and dumb rich guy just passing through. She didn't always come in on weeknights but was a common sight on the weekends. There were a few shift workers and some college kids who must not have 8ams the next day. Thankfully, Simon wasn't on shift with her. That kid couldn't shut up about himself and his breath _stank_. Lizzy knew this because he liked to lean in reaaal close. Debbie herself was a sweet, tough little lady whos grandson, David, colored or did homework in the breakroom when his mom couldn't watch him. He'd once made a crayon drawing for Lizzy of a little red boat on a big blue/green ocean with purple clouds and a yellow sun above it. She still kept it on her fridge.

Someone plopped down at the bar and Lizzy jumped into Waitress Mode™. Taking the man's order with a polite but happy smile and dutifully listing today's special. This guy was a total flirt, Lizzy figured, when he flashed his fanfiction green eyes and a white grin. It was obviously a reflex, he hadn't even really looked at her. After making her rounds again, refilling drinks, cleaning tables, and swatting a wandering hand, she made sure to look busy behind the bar. It wasn't to be, however, because not a minute later the guy was trying to make conversation. After a quick (and disappointing) glance at the tables that, for once, didn't need anything, she resigned herself to what was sure to be an uncomfortable talk full of innuendo and "subtle" glances. She was surprised though when under the veneer of flirting, all the guy wanted to talk about was the weird attack from a few weeks ago. Stuff like "had it happened again?" "do you think it was just a dressed up dog?" "did you know the kid?"

"Yeah I know the kid, everyone in town under 30 knows Devin." The guy, Dean he had said, leaned forward at that.

"Oh? How so?"

"He's a drug pusher and handyman at the university. It's kinda an open secret that he's in tight with the Blackfingers, a local gang that thrives on drugs and petty theft. Guy's a total asshole."

He must have heard something in her voice because Dean looked even more interested now.

"What? Like more than an asshole who sells drugs to college students?"

"Yeah, like apparently at the party before he got fucking mauled he doped a girl enough to get handsy in a corner but she didn't remember jack shit the next day." Lizzy's voice was dropped to a whisper, as if it was a secret, but was barely able to keep her voice from shaking.

Dean looked angry. His shoulders were taut and his hand tightened around the bottle in his hand.

"Seems like he might've deserved getting used as a chew toy then." Dean's voice was the type of casual that was only ever faked. Lizzy scrunched up her face.

"Mauled, yes. Have his eye ripped out? Maybe not. Do _you_ think he did?"

"I've seen too many kids running afoul of assholes in the past few years" he answered without answering "shitty parents, doped up teens, foster kids, you name it. No one deserves to get fucked up for someone else to get off." She had the sneaking suspicion he'd been one of those kids.

"You sound like a good man Dean."

He scoffed and ordered another beer.

…. . .. ..

School had been stressful lately, well, more stressful than Junior year of a professional engineering program generally was. She had gotten another _gift_ from Argus on Saturday morning (there seemed to be a theme here), and hadn't been able to calm down since. She was seriously considering never letting the cat outside _ever again_. Thankfully it wasn't another eye. Unfortunately, it was a pointer finger. A guy's, going by the size. She had a small panic attack in her small kitchen before cleaning up after her cat _again_. She stubbed her toe _hard_ to hide the faint stain with her blood the same way she had before with the cut on her arm. Keith had walked in for breakfast right after she finished hiding the finger in a small tupperware. _Too close_. For a second she felt a bit like Hannibal with all these ill-gotten human trophies hanging out in her fridge, but quickly shut out that line of thought. Keith took one look at her poor, abused toe and spent the next ten minutes fussing over it with the first aid kit.

Her Monday classes were abuzz with news of the second confirmed attack of the monster, they called it the Mutt after the things in Hunger Games. Apparently the guy was in the hospital from multiple lacerations, a concussion, the missing finger, broken bones in his left foot, and two broken ribs. Additionally, the police had found cocaine, three large knives, and a handgun on his person. He was also associated with the local gangs, Reapers this time. They only knew his street name which was, ironically enough, Beater. He'd done time before for physical and sexual assaults and had a penchant for starting fights. Avery, the class know-it-all, passed around a mug shot.

Lizzy dropped the finger in the river during her lunch break.

She didn't want to think about Beater. The man's face was already stuck in her memory forever. He was probably only 30 but the drugs, liquor, and lifestyle made him old too soon. She hadn't known the color of his eyes until she saw the mug shot but she could've drawn his jaw, brow, and hairline from memory. Shadowed, like she'd seen him in the alley behind Debbie's right before dawn. He'd been tipsy and she'd just gotten off shift. Makeup had hidden the bruising on her throat and shoulder but Keith had figured out that something had happened nearly immediately when he woke up at 7. That had been an uncomfortable conversation. Deflection hadn't worked and she'd eventually divulged that she'd been jumped after her shift. He had been livid. She didn't give him a name though, she didn't want anyone to associate her with the attacks. The hurt look he'd given her was enough to make guilt settle in her stomach like a stone. He thought she didn't trust him.

Nothing had happened anyway. Beater had pushed her against the brick wall of the alley and she'd fought more desperately than any bar fight. She'd punched and kicked in all the squishy, painful places she could reach (the broken foot had been her fault) and ran for her life towards her truck when his grip loosened. She'd nearly run him over when she peeled out of the lot. Still. Lizzy had to admit she felt a sort of...satisfaction, at having the man's finger delivered to her later.

With all this weighing on her mind, it was no surprise when Lizzy got home that day and realized she had completely forgotten to turn in the research paper that was due in her Social Justice, Ethics, and Engineering class and therefore had to go _back_ to campus because the professor would take 15% off her grade if she didn't turn in a paper copy. The crotchety bastard. On her way back to campus she saw a familiar leather jacket by the entrance and drove over. Dean was standing by the campus map with another man who was much taller with long hair and flannel.

"Hey!" she called. Dean turned and beamed when he saw her.

"If it isn't my favorite barista!" Did the other man just roll his eyes? She must have pegged him right when she thought him a flirt.

"What are you doing on campus?"

He spouted some crap about "seeing the sights" and maybe finding a job before they (the other man was introduced as Sam) moved on to the next town.

"So what are you doing here? Late classes?" He turned the conversation on her.

"Me? Oh no, I'm just an idiot who forgot to turn in her paper while she was actually _sitting in the classroom_ and had to come back afterwards." Lizzy shrugged 'what can you do?'

Sam seemed mildly sympathetic but Dean just laughed at her plight.

Small talk was not to last however. Sam quickly directed the conversation towards the most recent Mutt attack. Lizzy just wished everyone would shut up about it.

"Honestly, as long as the Mutt keeps focusing on assholes and doesn't actually kill anyone I don't see much of a problem with it." Lizzy winced as the words came out.

"That seems cold" Sam chastised, frowning a bit. Dean just looked at her appraisingly.

For one fleeting moment, the two men seemed… dangerous.

"Sorry, yeah, I know it's not good that something is swooping down and mauling people but…" Lizzy didn't quite know what she was trying to say but the two men seemed to understand anyways.

"It's kinda reassuring isn't it?" Lizzy's head snapped up in surprise at Dean's words.

"It's like some fucked up superhero who beats up the bad guys and evens the scales a bit." He continued.

Sam looked nonplussed but Lizzy found herself nodding along. She didn't mention that she had run afoul of both victims shortly before each attack, and therefore felt like the Mutt was actively protecting her. That would just be suspicious.

Also, it was super weird that her cat was involved.

They parted ways after that. The pair's questions and focus on the attacks unsettled her and Lizzy couldn't shake the feeling that they were like cops asking for any information on a suspect.

… . .. . . .

The more she thought about it, the more suspicious her cat was. Which was totally crazy. But Argus had been following her around the house way more than usual and just… watching her. He'd always done that though and maybe she was just reading too much into it. The fact stood though, that he had brought two body parts to her door in the last month. Body parts of two viciously mauled people who had somehow harassed her in the 24 hours beforehand.

So she mentioned it to Lula. Not the body parts obviously, but the general behavior. She dismissed it as "weird cat stuff." Lula was more of a dog person anyways.

…. . .. . .

Today was special. Lizzy was going to put all the recent freaky occurrences behind her and enjoy the moment. In other words, she was going on a date. It had taken her seven months to build up the courage but she had finally asked Lula out on a formal date. This wasn't a going out to eat at a hole-in-the-wall or going sailing or a coffee shop sort of thing, something that could just be a friendly get-together. No. She had asked Lula to go dancing with her in a specifically romantic sense. More like stuttered really, but she said yes so it was still a win in Lizzy's book. They were going to a little studio that did tango and waltz dance classes and had a wine bar open on Thursdays. Neither of the girls had morning classes on Friday so it was perfect. They even got a student discount.

Late April in Northern California was warm and comfortable, a huge change from the slush and spring skiing Lizzy had grown up with in northern Michigan, which meant it was perfect dress weather. Lizzy felt kinda ridiculous in her summer dress, leggings, and black leather boots with her makeup done picking Lula up from the dorms in her beat up F250. Classy. Lula didn't seem to care though, she jumped in with a smile on her face. Her long brown hair was loose and her flowy yellow dress and green converse suited her perfectly. Her real name was Ludmila but apparently Americans had thought it too weird when she moved to the US in 8th grade. Lizzy thought she was beautiful.

The drive to the studio was comfortable. Nice. They'd played alternative rock from their parent's generation on Lizzy's phone and talked about all the fun trips they'd go on during summer break. By the time they arrived Lizzy had finally relaxed.

The night passed like a dream. Lula knew more about dancing than her but they'd both stepped on toes and lost their balance a few times. It only got worse the more wine they drank. By the time they managed to narrowly avoid careening into a middle-aged couple and spin away (moving completely in synch) into another they figured it was time for a break. Sitting on the bench with Lula curling up in her arms, watching the dancers in the dim light, Lizzy felt like she'd found something important. She just hoped she wouldn't mess it up.

They headed out at midnight when the studio kicked them out, Lizzy was only a little tipsy so they decided not to call a taxi. Though she did nearly take out a garbage can when Lula suggested spending the night at her flat instead of heading back to the dorms. They stumbled through the door of the flat with dancing shoes in hand and giggling at some stupid joke about one of their professors that was way funnier in that moment than it ever would be in the light of day. Lula had been in her flat before and went straight for her fridge, rummaging for leftovers. She laughed at Keith's lunch sitting in front. He'd gone off in a big rant at school about how someone had stolen it. Lizzy grinned and groped around one of the cupboards for her emergency canned soup, proudly presenting it to her date with a little flourish.

"Your dinner m'lady" she curtsied and nearly fell over.

"How gourmet" Lula stated flatly before snatching the cans and heading for the stove.

The lights were still off but the flame from the gas stove cast blue flickering light on Lula's face and arms.

Lizzy poured more wine.

After their makeshift dinner, where they made a mess because Lula hogged all the butter for the bread and Lizzy reached too far in an attempt to retrieve it, they piled the dishes in the sink and retreated to the bedroom. Lizzy suffered an immediate bout of nerves and busied herself finding pajamas for Lula to distract herself. Her room wasn't much to look at, a twin bed, desk, closet, and two windows. The view was mostly other houses and a hint of the forest outside of town so she constantly had a screen down to let in light but not the view. Lula flopped on her bed and when Lizzy turned around she smiled and stretched languidly on top of the fluffy dark green comforter. Lizzy's breath caught and she froze with the pajamas in her hands. She probably looked like an idiot standing there in the closet. Lula held out a hand invitingly and Lizzy's brain short-circuited.

'Fuck it'

The pajamas fell on the floor.


	3. A Rude Awakening

Lizzy was rudely awakened from what was possibly the best (if rather short) night ever by a shrill scream right in her ear and small feet rudely kicking her off the bed. Ow.

'This is what I get for giving her the side with the wall' Lizzy thought as she lay awkwardly on her left arm with what felt like a textbook digging into her thigh. 

'The floor is really cold' she took another moment to wallow in her pain before Lula shrieked again and all Lizzy's drowsiness fled.

"What happened?!" She propped herself up enough to peer up at her (maybe) girlfriend.

Only to see her holding Argus by the scruff of his neck as far away from herself as possible while a human ear dangled from his mouth by a scrap of skin and some oily black hair. Lizzy froze, her eyes slowly moved from the ear to Lula's horrified eyes. Lula looked grossed out and scared, Lizzy was pretty sure she looked like a deer in the headlights. 

After what felt like eternity Lula noticed her lack of reaction and narrowed her rich dark brown eyes accusingly. She shook the unrepentant but thoroughly confused cat as if to emphasize her unspoken point and the disembodied ear swung slightly. The whole scene took on a light so morbidly ridiculous that Lizzy fell back down again, the textbook digging into her lower back this time, shaking in silent laughter with tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Lizzy!!" Lula bent forward, the cat still awkwardly dangling, "This is soooo not funny!"

Lizzy just laughed harder, then stopped abruptly and started reaching for her clothes. She avoided eye contact. 

After a minute she heard the soft thump of the cat landing on the floor and the creak of the bed shifting.

"Lizzy?"

"I'm s-sorry"

"Lizzy, is this...not the first time this has happened?"

Lizzy froze again, cursing this situation, her cat, and whatever the hell the Mutt is. Lula got fed up with her silence. 

"The first thing I woke up to this morning was a nasty fucking ear that my girlfriend's cat dragged in so damnit Liz you better fucking answer me!"

One hazel eye peaked out from shoulder-length light brown hair. 

"Girlfriend?"

"Don't push your luck L"

"Is it just me or does my name get shorter the more pissed you get?"

"La concha de tu madre! Answer the question!"

Lula was really mad. She generally made a point of swearing in English.

"He doesn't do it that often" Lizzy was mostly dressed by now and Argus was sitting in the doorway with the ear, politely waiting for attention. 

"Doesn't do what? Drag home body parts?"

"It's not that bad, Argus is just...uh retrieving the…parts. That freaky Mutt thing is what does the actual damage."

Lula looked sorta shell shocked, like she couldn't quite believe her first morning-after in her girlfriend's house was spent learning that said girlfriend's cat had a habit of bringing home body parts from victims of some sorta rabid monster that attacked low life assholes. Seeming to come to a decision, she stood up abruptly and started collecting her scattered clothing, muttering about creepy cats, freaky monsters, and unconcerned girlfriends.

Startled, Lizzy stepped back to give her some space. 

"Lula?"

Lula was getting dressed as fast as possible.

"I'm sorry, I don't even know how he does it I-I try to keep him inside but-"

Lula whirled around, clothes on (slightly crooked), and finger pointed accusingly.

"If I ever wake up to another detached body part again… we're done." 

Man, if looks could kill.

Lizzy found herself staring open-mouthed.

"... I thought you were already done with me." She looked down at Argus with his stupid ear. "I thought this was gonna go down as a Top Ten Worst Mornings and you'd just storm out. I wouldn't blame you."

"Don't worry, this is a really messed up morning." Lula sounded accusing. Lizzy looked at the floor again.

"I don't even know who's ear that is." Her voice sounded small and distant.

"He brought me Devin's eye first you know? I was really concerned about it and all…but then I found out he'd drugged and groped me the night before… and I threw it in the river. It felt like an anonymous 'Fuck You'. Then I got Beater's pointer finger and he's a rapist and a thug and he's pinned me to a wall outside my part-time job before so I threw that in the river too and… I almost don't want to know who's ear that is."

Lula just sighed. Her face twisted with some unrecognizable emotion while Lizzy talked. She looked between the cat now proudly grooming himself and Lizzy, standing there in an inside-out shirt and no bra, and seemed to come to a decision. 

"First we're gonna figure out who's ear that is, then we're going to stress eat an entire tub of icecream and commiserate about how freaky this is. You're buying."

Lizzy grinned and quietly jumped with joy as Lula swept out of the room.

…. .. . .. … 

The girls went to a campus cafe to catch up on gossip and scroll through the local news. Lula had commented earlier that she felt like an ameature detective and Lizzy retorted that they were probably in a B-rated thriller if their main lead was the cat. Either way, they had worked their way through a few scones and two cups of coffee each before they stumbled upon a website devoted to the Mutt. It was one of those amateur-made ones that tried to look dark and mysterious but just looked Tumblr edgelord. There were grisly photos of the Mutt's victims and fanart based on "eye-witnesses." According to the website, the creature's mission was to clear the town of evil people. A purge of sorts. They were treating it like a vengeful god.

"If this goes on much longer, they're going to start worshiping it." 

Lula sat back in her seat and downed the last of her coffee. 

"Do we even know what it is yet?"

"Of course not, did you see this fanart? The closest thing we've got is the Hunger Games and that doesn't exactly seem applicable." 

"I just can't believe no one knows what's happening! This thing is attacking people!" 

"Well it doesn't exactly seem like this is what the police are used to dealing with Lula."

"Well-!"

"If it isn't my favorite bartender! And her cute friend" Dean seemed to swoop in from the college lunch crowd, interrupting Lula with a wink and startling Lizzy enough to nearly spill her coffee. 

"Dean! What are you doing here?"

"I got a job at the college, a handyman, so I'm here for my lunch-break." He holds up a ham sandwich and large coffee as if to say 'See?'

Now that she thought about it, he only looked a bit older than her classmates, maybe 25?

"Somehow I didn't peg this as somewhere you'd like to eat lunch." Lizzy's voice was dry as she scanned the room for Sam. 

"Eeeh it's not my finest but it's close and there's lots of college girls." As if on cue, his gaze wanders to some girls Lizzy had seen in the international club when she had gone looking for Lula. Speaking of…

"Excuse me, Dean?" She was looking at him warily "I'm Lula, I don't believe we've met before."

"Oh hello, no I don't believe we have." 

Oh hell, was that a wink? What an unrepentant flirt!

"Whoa! Slow down casanova, we're here on a date." Lizzy lightly kicked at his leg and Dean laughed, jumping back. Lula gave her a raised eyebrow but seemed amused about the whole thing. 

"Haha sorry, so not just a cute friend I guess?" Then he had the nerve to wink again.

Lizzy sighed dramatically before joining their laughter.

As she was coming to expect, it didn't take long for Dean to start asking probing questions about the Mutt and it's victims. Lula didn't have much extra to add, mostly about how creepy Devin is, especially now that he's only got one eye. Apparently one time she caught him banging one of the girls he supplies in her dorm's laundry room. Awkward. 

He didn't stick around for long after it was clear they didn't have any new info and they left soon after. There was still no word on new Mutt attacks but they both had afternoon classes and, after making plans for the weekend, they ran back to their normal lives. 

.. . .. . … .. ..

Her afternoon Chem was already a drag and she hadn't even reached the room yet. First of all, it was on the third floor and the elevator was broken, no wonder they hired a new handyman. Second, she got stuck walking behind the jock crowd. A bunch of puffed-up wanna-be macho guys who think sprinting across a field makes you cool. Some of them were pretty cool once you separated them from the flock, but together they were a wall of meatheads. There was only so much toxic masculinity, no-homo jokes, and "opinions" on female classmates that Lizzy could take and before she knew it, she'd spouted off some smart-mouth comment and ended up in a stairwell confrontation. 

"What? You think you're so cool Liz? You got a problem?" Hey Brandon, wassup? Funny how he was so nice at the party a few weeks ago. 

"We're good, no problem." Her voice was drier than the desert. 

The group lost interest in her pretty quickly and kept hiking. 

"Homo" Someone sent a parting shot over their shoulder like an accusation. She made a V and wagged her tongue. 

They all kept walking. 

Somehow, reaching the classroom didn't fix anything. Mrs. Ranshon was nowhere to be seen, which wouldn't have been strange except that neither were her teaching assistants. Not one to waste such a perfect opportunity, Lizzy took out the homework due that class and set about finishing the last few problems. She was early and there were only about five students besides her and the jocks in the room. Ten minutes later, class was about to start and still Mrs. Ranshon was a no-show. That was uncharacteristic of her. 

Lizzy had nearly finished her assignment when the screaming started. Startled, she looked to the source of the scream in time to see Mrs. Ranshon's corpse slump and fall out of one of the equipment cabinets where someone had opened the door looking for a scale. Lizzy jumped up and ran to see better, she had a feeling she knew what she'd find.

… . … . .. .. .. . 

"I'm telling you Keith! She was mauled just like the Mutt's victims! And she was missing her ear! That's exactly what that psycho does, maul them and take a body part!"

"But she was DEAD Lizzy! The Mutt never did that before!"

It was supposed to be movie night but Keith had burnt the popcorn and Lizzy hadn't been able to focus enough to pick out a movie so they were just sitting on the couch. 

"Maybe they're escalating? God I hope not."

"This is insane, what did the police say?"

"Nothing useful, they're so out of their depth here it's painful to watch. Completely ignoring anything related to the Mutt." 

"Ugh this is too much, doesn't the Mutt only go after assholes? What did Mrs. Ranshon ever do?"

"You mean you haven't heard about that scandal last semester when someone found her doing lines?"

"I heard about that but Lizzy, you can't honestly tell me she was killed for doing drugs."

"No! No of course not, but you're friends with Gabe, you should know that the best place to get drugs is from the gangs." 

Keith sent her an incredulous look.

"You're saying Mrs. Ranshon was involved in gang business?"

"I'm saying she might have been."

"You're crazy."

"You're boneheaded."

"Scatterbrained"

"Lost in the clouds"

"Spoiled brat"

"Horrible cook"

"Mop-head"

"Whoa! Too far, too far. I'm gonna get it trimmed!"

"Whatever, let's try to get through the weekend without any more monsters kay?"

"Honestly, I never thought it would be so hard to avoid."

.

* * *

AN: Hey guys, sorry it took a while to update. 


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